CNN's GUT CHECK | for August 20, 2013 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

DNC TO VOTE ON FILNER: FIRST ON CNN… The Democratic National Committee will vote on a resolution this week calling on San Diego Mayor Bob Filner to resign, ratcheting up pressure on the embattled Democrat who has been accused of sexually harassing multiple women. – Mark Preston

REASSIGNED, NOT FIRED: STATE DEPARTMENT WON'T FIRE BENGHAZI 4, BUT WILL REASSIGN THEM… The workers, put on leave after an Accountability Review Board report in December found bureaucratic failures at the State Department before the attack, will be reassigned to different jobs at the agency, an official said. – Jill Dougherty

REPUBLICANS POUNCE:

RUSH LIMBAUGH, ON HIS RADIO SHOW: “What it means is that not one single person has been punished for what happened in Benghazi, not one person. If there was ever an event where heads should have rolled, that is it.”DARRELL ISSA, CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: “Instead of accountability, the State Department offered a charade that included false reports of firings and resignations and now ends in a game of musical chairs where no one misses a single day on the State Department payroll.”BOB CORKER, THE TOP REPUBLICAN ON THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: “I am highly disappointed that no one at the State Department will be held accountable in any real way over the failures that led to the tragedy in Benghazi. I don't understand how this administration will ensure accountability at one of our most vital government departments without disciplining those who fail in their duties.”

“For employers who rely on unpaid interns, it's been the summer of reckoning.”

That is how CNN Money’s Emily Jane Fox astutely described the drumbeat from people angry about unpaid internships.

Last week, Gut Check pointed out that Facebook COO Sheryl Sanberg’s “Lean In Foundation” – a group dedicated to female empowerment and equal pay – was offering an unpaid internship.

And now, the White House.

The Fair Pay Campaign, a grassroots lobby set to launch around Labor Day, is calling on President Barack Obama to pay White House interns in order to set an example for other government agencies and private employers.

A White House internship – although considered prestigious – is unpaid and does not include a stipend for housing. The White House website says interns are expected to work "at least Monday-Friday, 9 am-6 pm" leaving many to question how such a time commitment could be possible from financially strapped students.

This puts the White House in tough policy terrain as just last month Obama told an audience in Illinois that he would use the rest of his presidency to fight for equal opportunity for all Americans.

CNN reached out to the White House on Tuesday for an explanation on why it doesn’t pay their interns and we did not receive a response.

the LEDEDid you miss it?

Leading CNNPolitics:U.S. officials differ on status of military aid to Egypt
The Obama administration is withholding some military aid to Egypt as it reviews how it wants to proceed, a U.S. official told CNN, but a Pentagon spokesman said he knew of no action to stop aid to Egypt. – Jessica Yellin

Leading Drudge:Crush The Bros!
Until Monday night, Farid Ismail was one of the few Muslim Brotherhood leaders who still answered his phone, even when many of his associates had been arrested or gone underground. By Tuesday morning Ismail was nowhere to be found after the authorities seized the group's chief, Mohamed Badie, overnight. – Michael Georgy

Leading HuffPo:Ridiculous
The Senate's most prominent climate change skeptic, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), called in to Mike Huckabee's radio show on Monday to discuss conspiracy theories on global warming and the Obama administration's plans to deal with it.

Leading Politico:The Clinton dramas: Here we go again
Tabloid headlines. Personal dramas. Organizational disarray. Score-settling between rival factions documented in news accounts like a soap opera. Does this have a familiar ring? – Maggie Haberman

THE OLYMPIC BUZZ: RUSSIAN RUNNERS KISS ON THE WINNERS PODIUM AT COMPETITION IN MOSCOW… Their kiss came at a highly charged moment for gay rights in Russia, which recently implemented an anti-gay propaganda law. The law, which bars the public discussion of gay rights and relationships anywhere children might hear, has led to calls to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

HOT SOTSThe political bites of the day

- Sen. Roberts on Larry Summers, and lawn care -
REPUBLICAN SEN. PAT ROBERTS OF KANSAS IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE WICHITA EAGLE: “I wouldn’t want Larry Summers to mow my yard. He’s terribly controversial and brusque and I don’t think he works well with either side of the aisle, quite frankly.”

- Turkish leader blames Israel for Egypt strife -TURKISH PRIME MINISTER TAYYIP ERDOGAN IN A SPEECH TO HIS PARTY’S LEADERS, ACCORDING TO REUTERS: “What do they say in Egypt? Democracy is not the ballot box. What is behind it? Israel. We have in our hands documentation.”

Gut Check Full Service: Spokesman Josh Earnest at the White House briefing… “We strongly condemn the statements that were made by Prime Minister Erdogan today. Suggesting that Israel is somehow responsible for recent events in Egypt is offensive, unsubstantiated and wrong.”

- Former politicians split on House of Cards -FORMER CONGRESSMAN BARNEY FRANK IN AN OPINION PIECE FOR THE PORTLAND PRESS HERALD: “I have never met anyone in a position of power in Congress who resembles that caricature. … There is a constant theme to the flaws in this show: Nothing is remotely close to being as easily manipulated by an amoral strategic superhero as the show portrays.”IN AN INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE ROSE, KEVIN SPACEY RECALLS WHAT FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON TOLD HIM: “I love that show. It’s so good. We watched it over three days it was so good.”

- Crossfire Classic: KKK Grand Wizard in 1982 -TOM BRADEN, FORMER CROSSFIRE HOST: “You are against the thing that makes this country great. And I think you are a disgrace.”GRAND WIZARD OF THE KKK: “You know nothing about what I believe or what I stand for.”Braden: “I just heard what you believed. You are a damned disgrace to the country.”Grand Wizard: “No, I have a strong belief, in fact…”

soundoff(9 Responses)

Lynda/Minnesota

I am sorry to say, but if CNN is going to continue to give its air time to support Rush Limbaugh rants, there will be no reason for me to continue to support CNN. It is quite enough that Limbaugh is (and has been for quite some time now) the most vocal and highly visible leader of the Republican party. He does have a venue with which to speak out; a very lucrative venue, and one which ... for my own personal reasons ... I choose to ignore.

For Limbaugh to become a regular on CNN would be just too much hate for me tolerate.

August 20, 2013 05:18 pm at 5:18 pm |

Sniffit

"Suddenly the media is cool with birthers."

Suddenly? Are you kidding? Haha...nothing gets the Red Staters going like some good old fashioned fabrication of a victimhood claim. The entire MSM gave the birthers all sorts of free publicity for their BS and it took a couple years before we ever saw anything remotely close to discussion of the facts and the law that disproved their nonsense. It was handled with kid gloves and the MSM functioned as nothing more than a bullhorn for their conspiracy theories, delusions and utter insanity. Cry more over nothing, Erick, you're super good at it.

August 20, 2013 05:35 pm at 5:35 pm |

Sniffit

"It would take about 76 8-hour work days for the average person to read through all the “Terms and Conditions” they agree to in a year."

And I bet 50+ of those hours involve financial transactions, etc. CFPB needs to issue some standardized, consumers' bill of rights type stuff on the attempt pile on "fine print" in the quest to dupe the consumer.

August 20, 2013 05:37 pm at 5:37 pm |

Marie MD

Hey limburger, what I would love to see is your head roll of that fat body on air. If that is not possible maybe a hear attack would appease me!
If anyone should go to jail let'sstart with the criminal war shrub #43, his walking dead vp and rumsfeld.
Better yet, let's go back to Beirut, early 80s, and the 290+ lives lost, including Marines and dig up your buddy reagan to try him for allowing all those deaths to occur.

August 20, 2013 05:39 pm at 5:39 pm |

Sniffit

"For Limbaugh to become a regular on CNN would be just too much hate for me tolerate."

CNN is just trying to make nice with the RNC and save their relationship after the RNC got mad that CNN might be seeing someone else occasionally.

August 20, 2013 05:48 pm at 5:48 pm |

Marie MD

I agree with Lynda/Minnesota. We already know what an empty headed racist limurger is. The reason educated normal peopl don't listen to him is obvious I don't want to hear or readavout his right wing poop here!

Better yet, let's go back to Beirut, early 80s, and the 290+ lives lost, including Marines and dig up your buddy reagan to try him for allowing all those deaths to occur.
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Should we dig up your buddy johnson and try him for the 50,000 killed in Vietnam?

August 20, 2013 07:35 pm at 7:35 pm |

GI Joe

Is Sunny Bo's sister or wife? Just askin.......................................